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“As soon as I met them and we talked about the possibilities, I said ‘I think I’m ready,’ ” says Kissoon, who spoke with Jason Mercieca and Sunny Mokha����to discuss her options.

Although she was convinced she wanted a townhouse, this changed as she chatted with the realtors. After listening to Kissoon’s future vision for her lifestyle, Mercieca and Mokha suggested she consider condos, specifically Tridel’s Auberge on the Park, a condominium on the site of the former Inn on the Park.

They did take her to look at three-storey townhomes, but she realized the stairs and “choppy” layouts didn’t fit with what she envisioned.

“When I started exploring Auberge’s amenities and lifestyle, it opened my mind,” she says. “There was a perfect layout for me, similar to my bungalow’s, and I thought, ‘OK, this looks positive.’ ”

After measuring her furniture to see if it would fit, she decided it was time to switch to a lifestyle that would enable her to find more time for her job and for herself.

Auberge on the Park condos range from $795,000 to $2.15 million in price, and from 912 to 2,028 square feet.��Kissoon��bought a 1,350-square-foot, two-bedroom, two-bath condo with two balconies, as a presale unit in 2021.

Kissoon��loves to entertain, and the open layout her enables her to prepare meals while she chats with her guests. She appreciates that those she is hosting have their own bathroom. She also enjoys having a generous walk-in closet to accommodate her clothes and shoes.

Kissoon had confidence in the developer Tridel Homes, as she’d purchased from Tridel before. (Tridel partnered with Rowntree Enterprises on Auberge.). Her mother lives in one of their buildings. She says it’s well managed and maintained.

Kissoon��had time to prepare for her move, as she signed the agreement in April 2021, and moved in after the building was completed in August, 2023.

Because the condo was new, she was able to make choices to suit her taste. “I got to pick finishings I love,” including a 36-inch range, instead of the standard 24-inch condo model.

Her realtors enjoyed getting to know her and realized her kind of initial hesitation was something they had experienced before with other clients.��“For Jason and me, Vijaya’s journey was not a transaction; we still wanted to be invited for wine nights,” says Mokha. “As we sat with her, we realized we’d heard this story before. It’s hard to see your furniture fit somewhere else��….

“But freedom can come with change and we had to show her what we thought could be the right fit for her,” he adds.

The journey spanned a couple of years, as there was the wait for the building to be constructed.��Mokha��and Mercieca helped to prepare Kissoon mentally for when to sell the family home, a year-and-a-half later, and tried to time everything to minimize the stress of the move.

They say the new location works well for��Kissoon. “There is Sunnybrook hospital across the street, the transit line coming in (the crosstown LRT), and it’s a landmark location. It’s a quick Uber ride downtown and it’s north enough to make it easy to get out of the GTA,” said��Mokha.

“It checked a lot of boxes, and it’s loaded with amenities.”

Says Kissoon: “It’s stunning. It doesn’t feel like a condo.”

It took a long time for her to decide to move. “I was terrified,” she says. The most important thing was finding the right realtors who understood her fears and the wish-list for her next home. “Jason and Sunny took the time to get a sense of what I was looking for.”

Her condo is less than 15 minutes from her daughter, mother and her job, allows her to work from home��—��she’s a financial adviser��—��and is close to favourite brunch spots.

Kissoon was able to custom-design the walk-in closet to accommodate her clothes and shoes, and she loves how the “hard wearing, easy-to-clean” finishes in grey and white make housework simple. She likes the safety and security of having a concierge, and the responsive service if she needs to reach property management. She enjoys sitting on her balcony overlooking the park.

“The toughest part for me moving from a house to condo was the letting go,” says Kissoon. “A (detached) home can sometimes be an anchor. Now it is so freeing, and I can continue to let go. I can close the door and travel. I went to Japan, and Europe on a cruise. I am living the life.”